Personal Leave Days

I realize you may find this hard to believe....but I typically do my best to stay under my boss' radar. I ...USUALLY...am that employee who works her ass off while living by all of the rules --both written and unwritten. I've found that, although some people might perceive it as a type of brown-nosing, playing by the rules reaps all kinds of rewards from the higher ups when done in this non-blatant fashion.

I've found that this work-hard-keep-your-head-down mentality pays off in certain cases, such as when:A>an out-of-line administrator (AKA PissyAP) gets in your faceB>you need to miss one class...and one class only.... in order to go sign the closing papers on your houseC>you need your appraiser to show some mercy toward your kiddoD>you want to know what your kiddo did to end up in his AP's officeE>you want your department chair to NOT move you to teaching 9th gradersF>because of poor-time-management-on-your-part, you don't have time to actually go to school to drop off your sub-plans before you go see The Bugg in action...but need to email them to the AP's secretaryG>you not only get behind on the staff development database...but stay behindH>you need to borrow The Bugg during your lunch period (when he's an office aide) to work on college stuff

In each of these situations, the administrator in question has "cut me a little slack" and shown me some mercy as a result of my customary Puritan-esque work ethic.

But every now and then, you have to say "WTF" and realize you're most likely going to end up on the radar, and you might as well accept it.

Because sometimes things happen.

Like....I>you decide to take off a Thursday AND a Friday so you can move (for the last time, please GOD) into your new house...J>you totally and completely forget that you're supposed to do an online STATE-MANDATED test OVER SPRING BREAK to qualify to "rate" your ESL kids...K>you take one for the team by emailing a notoriously PissyAP in order to voice concerns other faculty members have (but you launch a pre-emptive strike by cc'ing your appraiser, HIS appraiser, and your dotted-line supervisor/advocate at the appropriate district office)....L>you end up gathering writing samples for your ESL kids at the verylastminute because of the dumb TAKS test and the painintheass JuniorTheme....M>you simply don't have time to keep the damn professional development database updated because your teaching your ass off -- (which you know your department chair expects AND sees AND values AND rewards)

and then there comes a time when you know that you're MOST DEFINITELY going to end up on the radar IN A BIG AND MAJOR WAY as a result of a choice you're making.

But you decide to make it anyway.

Because you know in your heart of hearts that, although staying-off-the-radar is usually your m.o., you're quite ready and willing to take whatever comes....whatever it may be.

Because, although Uberprincipal absolutely hates it when teachers are out on a Friday or Monday (because she views it as them extending their weekend)...and even though she can't deny your request to be out (thank God for a web-based substitute system)...she can and most definitely WILL keep her Uber-eye on you for the immediate future.

Keeping all of this in mind, especially the fact that UberPrincipal is well aware of A, G, I, J, K, and M....you decide to take off 2 days IN A ROW .... knowing full well that one of them is a Friday (gasp!)....and even worse...the other one is a THURSDAY. (Holy Schniekies, Batman!! A four day weekend!?! Say it isn't so!! You most assuredly are playing with fire!!! )

Because, although you live your life trying to stay under the radar....you know that you're completely within the state and district guidelines for using your "PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS"....and it's your perogative to use your "PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS" for whatever PERSONAL reason you need to LEAVE work....

...especially when it comes to the district gymnastics meet being held during the day on two consecutive days...and you know that there is absolutely no place you'd rather be than:

Because, in the end, you wouldn't trade the warm & fuzzy moments...*watching him beat 4 out of 6 of his personal records on compulsory routines...*seeing him stick the landing on his reallydamnbeautiful vault...*seeing the smile on his face when he saw his 9.8 on his floor routine...*seeing him nail that iron cross...twice... that he's worked so hard on..*having him be #7 AllAround at the end of day 1...

or even the holy-cow-how-can-it-hurt-this-much moments...*seeing his disappointment after his p-bar score on day 1....*seeing how much of a toll those iron-crosses...(and that floor routine)...took on his shoulder...*watching him walk around with an icebag taped to his shoulder in hopes that he'd make it thru the p-bars and high bar on day 2....*seeing him attempt to push past the excruciating pain, but not be able to raise his arm high enough to mount the p-bars on day 2 ....*watching him stay by the wall when the rest of the team went to check in with the p-bar judge...*seeing the look on his face as he cheered his teammates on, knowing that he was out of the running for placing in All-Around...*watching him head into the locker-room to change clothes, when he should have been preparing for high bar...*and seeing that look on his face...the one that says "I'm SuperHard." ...when you know from personal experience is 2 steps shy of him breaking down in tears...

Because, if you had opted to play it safe and stay under the radar, you wouldn't have seen any of that....nor would you have been able to be there to send him a text that says, "I'm proud of you. You gave it your best."

And see him give you that look that says my-heart-hurts-but-I'll-be-okay...I'm tough, remember?...

And you wouldn't have seen him.......with that big ole Buggygrin...step forward during the awards ceremony to accept the ribbons from the events he placed in.....

because....that means....

it was all worth it...and....he's advancing to Regionals!!

And in case you're wondering...Hell yeah, I sure AM taking another personal leave day to go to Regionals!UberRadar, be damned!!!